Creative Ways Ecommerce Businesses Can Make a Killer Impression

June 29, 2018

By: Cathie Ericson

The term “customer experience” naturally makes people think about the possibilities physical retailers can have to impress customers from the moment they walk in the door. But what if there is no door for them to walk in? What if your company deals with customers completely in the virtual space?

Ecommerce companies have to think about customer experience differently and come up with creative ways to make an impression on customers from afar. These customers will likely never come face-to-face with your business, so how do you get them to remember you and keep coming back for more?

Here are some tips for how ecommerce businesses can make a great, lasting impression:

Include a thank-you note with each order

Write a quick, personalized note thanking every customer for their business. They will be surprised and remember it.

Offer discounts on future purchases

People love discounts and deals—and are more likely to make a repeat purchase if they are given one. Consider including a coupon for a supplemental purchase in hopes of expanding their patronage into new categories of goods or services rather than the ones they’re already purchasing from you.

Provide secure, high-quality packaging and shipping

Boxes made of shoddy cardboard or packaging tape that comes unstuck en route will lead customers to think you aren’t concerned about their purchases arriving clean and intact. Make sure your packaging and shipping materials are of highest quality. Likewise, use a shipping service with a reputation for getting packages to their destination on time, and ensuring they are left in secure, safe places to prevent theft and weather-related damage. Consider throwing in a value-added service that everybody appreciates: package tracking.

Use packaging to showcase your business

Sending a plain envelope or box misses out on an opportunity to let people know—and remind them—about your business. Something as simple as using custom mailing labels or wrapping orders in paper or bags with your company logo on them is a great chance to brand your business. Many companies include business cards with every order to make it easy for customers to contact them and shop there again.

Send branded gifts

Want to take your branding to the next level? Come up with a promotional gift for customers that includes your company logo and website address that will remind them about your company. That could be a ballpoint pen, a notepad or a magnet—something that’s ideally easy and affordable to ship with purchases but that your customers will appreciate receiving.

Include samples of other products and services

Everyone loves extra perks! Ideally find products and/or services your customers aren’t as familiar with and send them a free smaller or more affordable version of a product they might be interested in. (Perhaps include a promotional offer such as a discount code for purchasing that product or service.)

Just because your customers interact with your business virtually and through mail doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be thinking about your reputation and building a memorable customer experience. These are just a few of the ways to make a strong impression—and keep your customers coming back for more.

About the Author

Cathie Ericson is a freelance writer covering business and consumer topics. She creates branded content for Fortune 500 companies, and her work has appeared in LearnVest, Costco Magazine, Forbes, TheGlassHammer.com and IDEA Fitness. Follow her @cathieericson.

All content provided herein is for educational purposes only. It is provided “as is” and neither the author nor Office Depot, Inc. warrant the accuracy of the information provided, nor do they assume any responsibility for errors, omissions or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.